Wow-Wow Chow-Chow

Name: Wow-Wow Chow-Chow
Prep time: 45 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 7 pints
Ingredients: 1 1/4 lbs cabbage, cored & cut into chunks (early pointy head good); 4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (medium); 2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks; 2 orange bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks; 1 1/2 lbs tomatillos, husked, hulled and cut into chunks; 1 1/2 lbs tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks; 1 cup red pepper, roasted & drained; 2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped; 4 cups salt; 5 gallons water; 5 cups white vinegar; 3 cups sugar; 1/2 teaspoon turmeric; 1 teaspoon cumin seed; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, ground; 1/2 teaspoon allspice, ground; 1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco; 7 bay leaves

Submitted by Busters friend

"Stashing this for using this summer. Sweet, sour, salty & spicy-hot - all at once! Not your run-of-the-mill chutney - much of can come from our summer garden too! David Hagedorn of The Washington Post has taken a few liberties with this family recipe from Thomas Head, former restaurant critic for Washingtonian magazine, mainly by chopping the vegetables separately in a food processor and adding other ingredients. The vegetables need to be brined overnight before the canning process. Refrigerate the chow-chow after opening."

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Ready In:: 1hr
Ingredients:: 18
Yields:: 7 pints

ingredients

1 ¹⁄₄ lbs cabbage, cored & cut into chunks (early pointy head good)
4 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces (medium)
2 red bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks
2 orange bell peppers, stemmed, seeded and cut into chunks
1 ¹⁄₂ lbs tomatillos, husked, hulled and cut into chunks
1 ¹⁄₂ lbs tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
1 cup red pepper, roasted & drained
2 Thai chiles, stemmed, seeded and finely chopped
For the brine
4 cups salt
5 gallons water
For the syrup
5 cups white vinegar
3 cups sugar
¹⁄₂ teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cumin seed
¹⁄₂ teaspoon cinnamon, ground
¹⁄₂ teaspoon allspice, ground
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco
7 bay leaves

directions

For the vegetables: Working in small, separate batches, pulse the vegetables in a food processor quickly several times just until they are chopped but not mushy. Transfer to a bowl as you go.
For the brine: Dissolve the salt in the water in a very large nonreactive container, such as a Lexan container or a clean bucket. Add the chopped vegetables to the brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To prepare for canning: Wash 7 pint jars, their new lids and bands in hot soapy water (180 degrees); rinse well. Dry the bands; set aside. Sterilize the jars by boiling for 10 minutes. Heat the lids and bands in a saucepan of hot water, keeping them hot until ready to use. Do not boil the lids.
Fill the canner halfway with water. Preheat the water (140 degrees for raw-packed foods, 180 degrees for hot-packed foods) over medium heat.
Drain the vegetables, discarding the brine, and place them in a large, nonreactive pot. Add the vinegar, sugar, spices and hot sauce, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, uncovered, for 1 hour. Fill the sterilized, still hot, pint-size jars with the chow-chow. Use a fork to guide a bay leaf down the inside of each jar, if using.
Use a nonreactive spatula or chopsticks to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims and necks of the jars with a clean damp cloth. Center a heated lid on each of the jars. Screw the bands on evenly and loosely until a point of resistance is met (fingertip tight). Load the filled jars, fitted with lids, into the canner rack and use the handles to lower the rack into the water; or fill the canner, 1 jar at a time, with a jar lifter. Increase the heat to high until the water boils. Set the timer for 15 minutes. Add hot water as needed to keep the water level at least 1 inch above the jars. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil.
When the processing is complete, transfer the jars from the canner to sit upright on a clean dish towel to cool; do not retighten the bands. Let the jars cool on the towel for 12 to 24 hours.
When the jars are cool, test for a good seal by pressing the center of each lid. If the lid does not flex up and down, it is sealed. Label and store the jars in a cool, dark place. Refrigerate after opening.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

Busters friend

Pleasure Island, 73

First about Buster: Buster moved onto whatever comes next on February 26, 2008. He was just shy of five years old. I miss him terribly. He came into our lives when he ran out in front of my car late one night as I was driving home. A just under 4 pound ball of kitten fluff, complete with an ostrich boa tail that stayed straight up as he assessed his new domain. He became a 19 pound longhaired beast who guarded our house (he followed any new guests or servicepeople the entire time they are on the property) & even killed copperheads (among other things with his hunting buddy, Fergus the short-tailed)! Friends never saw his formidible side as he smiled at them & uttered the most incongruent kitten-like mews as he threaded legs! He liked to ride in the car & came to the beach. There are Buster-approved recipes in my offerings - however, HE decided which he wanted to consider - Buster demonstrated he liked pumpkin anything - ALOT -LOL!!! Copperhead count 2006 - Buster 2 (10 inchers w/yellow tails) 2007 - Buster & Roxie 1 (a 24 incher!) Buster woken from beauty sleep - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0335.JPG Big whiskers - http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/62264/DSCN0333.JPG For those of you who gave kind condolences - thank you so very much. http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=250301 I love to cook & incorporate techniques from Southern/Mid Atlantic roots (grits, eastern NC BBQ shoulders, Brunswick stew, steamed crabs & shrimp & shellfish, hushpuppies, cornbread, greens, shad roe, scrapple) with Pacific Rim foods & techniques aquired while living in Pacific Northwest, fish & game recipes learned while living in Rocky Mountain region & foods/techniques learned travelling to the Big Island & up into BC & Alberta & into the Caribbean. The Middle Eastern/African likes I have are remnants of my parents who lived for many years in North Africa & Mediterranean before I was thought of. Makes for wide open cooking! Since moving back east we try to go annually in the deep winter to Montreal (Old Montreal auberges & La Reine) & Quebec City (Winter Carnival & Chateau Frontenac)- for unctuous foie gras & real cheeses, French & Canadian meals prepared & served exquisitely, fantastic music & wonderful people - with the cold helping burn off some of the calories! I love putting in our aluminum jonboat & heading across the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) to the barrier islands for foraging & exploring! Bodysurfing is a lifelong sport for me - one that a person's body never seems to forget how to do, once the knack is learned (thank goodness!) I especially miss cool summers & foggy/drizzly days & fall mushroom foraging/anytime of year hot springing in WA, OR, MT, ID, BC & Alberta.

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